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Ever wanted a nice piece of equipment that wouldn’t break the budget? One could do a tank with knockoff filters and heaters for very cheap. But as always, “You get what you pay for.” Or do you? After reading several positive reviews for the “SunSun” HW-302 canister aquarium filter from Ebay, I decided to break the ice and not my budget. Before I tell you about the canister, I need to fill you in on where you can get it, and where it is manufactured. The reason the brand name “SunSun” is in quotes, is because the brand changes. Some people will order the same filter for the same price as another person, but when they both get them, one will be by “SunSun” or Perfect or a host of others. You still get the same filter, just different “brands”. The filter itself is manufactured in Asia, and has about the same design as the Marineland C-series filter and the JBJ filter. It has even been speculated that they are made in the same factories. Though, that is rather far-fetched in my opinion. On to the review!

First Impressions

About a week after buying the “SunSun” HW-302 for a whopping total of $46 shipped to my door, I got the package in the mail. The filter box was wrapped in a large layer of bubble wrapping and was inside another box, larger box for shipping. Everything arrived in tact and in great condition. Setup is fairily easy, as long as you have prior canister filter experience. This is due to the fact that the instructions are in “Engrish” (aka very bad Chinese, English). This is why I recommend reading up on canisters before you set the 302 up. Like any canister knowing how to set it up will save you time, tears, and the pain of cleaning your wet floor. Anyway, included with the filters itself are three baskets for media, three rather thin plastic floss pads, a couple of feet of green 5/8in tubing, inflow with optional surface skimmer (a great thing to have, especially in ripariums. Surface scum gone in a snap!), double, quick disconnect, and a two piece spray bar. The in and out flows are black and very easy to hid. There construction is pretty good. Maybe just a little flimsy when compared to the concrete EHEIM in/outflows, but they serve their purpose very well. The media containers are not built the best, and can fit rather snuggly, but they work and provide plenty of space for all media.

Now to the canister. The canister is white with blue and grey accents. The canisters head has a large “press-to-prime” prime button that is very easy and effective, for at least the first time. The quick disconnects use two rotating heads to which the tubing is attached. To stop the flow through the filter, simply pull and a lever and you’re done! The filter is on the quiet side, but in my case not dead quiet. Several others “SunSun” users report that their HW-302’s are dead quiet. Even quieter than an EHEIM Classic. All in all, it is quiet, but not silent. The flow rate for the HW-302 is advertised at 265GPH, which is about right when it is filled with media. To secure the filter head to the canister the filter uses four “locks” so to speak that highly resemble those used on Fluval canister filters.

Cleaning wise, my waters is crystal clear. I have this baby on my 40g breeder with a Hydor inline heater, and it is great. The flow rate is rather low for my setup, but with the addition of a powerhead, everything is great.

Final Thoughts

All in all, the “SunSun” HW-302 canister filter is a decent buy. Great if you want a good canister filter that won’t break the bank! Click here if you would like to check these babys out!